


You Are Not Mine

by blueduende



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Happy Ending!!! (for one sasuke....), M/M, Misunderstanding, Mutual Pining, i looked at this so much the words look alien to me idk what this is even about so, quick-fix it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-05 05:45:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14610762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueduende/pseuds/blueduende
Summary: What happens when Road to Ninja Sasuke is somehow transported to Konoha and becomes obsessed with Naruto? More importantly, how will Sasuke handle it?*I don't have the heart to delete this but expect a re-write!





	You Are Not Mine

**Author's Note:**

> Hiiii xx THIS IS MY 10TH WORK!!! 
> 
> Honestly... Idk what this is. Not sure how happy I am with it but... here it is.
> 
> This takes place when Naruto is already Hokage; neither of them married and neither of them have children because that would have added about 20k+ more words and I'm not sure I have it in me! If this one isn't your cup of tea I'm working on a getting-together Gladiator AU that contains blood/guts/glory + pwp, so keep an eye out!
> 
> Oh and Naruto doesn't belong to me, this and that.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

* * *

“Where do you think you're going, handsome?” 

Naruto felt his face prickle with embarrassment. He was terrible at being… the object of fixation? Pursued? Stalked was probably the best word to describe what he was experiencing. 

The question was incentive enough to nudge him into a quicker pace. Even if he struggled to keep it, there was nothing he wanted more than to outrun the voice calling out to him. So familiar yet so foreign.

To think that there was once a time when he desired someone’s undivided attention. 

It was different from being the center of attention as Hokage where a whole village looked to him for leadership, but one person actively seeking him out and straining for his attention in such an obsessed way made him want to run for the hills.

Especially when the person obsessed with him was Sasuke.

Well, not the real Sasuke.

The other Sasuke. 

The one from the Genjutsu reality Tobi had thrown him into. 

From the world that allowed him to meet his parents again. 

Due to their previous acquaintance, he expected the other Sasuke to gravitate towards his counterpart until they sorted this mess out. That was what Naruto decided would happen. They were to stay together until he — or anyone, really — found a way to return the other Sasuke to his reality. It sounded like a good idea when he thought about it. If he hadn’t been with Sakura, he might’ve latched onto his own counterpart all that time ago. 

Well.

That is if he hadn’t been terribly busy being a missing-nin trying to destroy Konoha. 

But the other Sasuke wasn’t like that. 

Unfortunately, Sasuke was already showing signs of restlessness if the way he shifted his weight, clasped and unclasped his hands, and smoothed out his pristine traveling cloak was any indication. Naruto knew that he never stayed in the village for long and he knew that it was unfair to ask him to stay for an indefinite amount of time but no one knew about Tobi’s powers like Sasuke. 

That was a damn good excuse though. He couldn't clamp down the giddiness charging him up like a battery at the idea of Sasuke staying in town. 

When he relayed the information to them, he very quickly saw that not only were they surprised by his decision but they couldn’t be less happy about it. 

Thankfully, although initially reluctant, Sasuke agreed to take the responsibility for the other Sasuke.

For two days, anyway.

Between now and two days ago, the Sasuke’s struck an accord in which both of them agreed that being apart suited them much better. So Sasuke bounced the other him back to Naruto while he took direct action: research.

Yes, Naruto was busy and yes, Naruto took a moment to tease Sasuke about his vague ‘research’ answer, insinuating that he would pursue research along the same lines of his late mentor but took the other Sasuke off his hands anyway.

He thought that he was agreeing to a ‘confined to Konoha’s HQ’ babysitting deal, one that would save Naruto from Sasuke’s agitation while maintaining a comfortable level of space between him and the other Sasuke. He would be on the top floor and the other Sasuke would be in the hospital wing for safekeeping or whatever. Then Sakura found out that he was trying to rent a room out to an uninjured person and about had an aneurysm. It took five minutes for him to be sent back to the Hokage's office and four and half minutes of that time was used to walk up and down the stairs.

So within minutes, his compromise felt like a mistake.

It was like now that the other Sasuke _saw_ Naruto, he didn’t want to take his eyes _off_ of him. The other Sasuke was simply fascinated by Naruto, like a kitten introduced to catnip. 

Which is how they arrived at this stage of their relationship. 

“Naruto, will you please wait!” The other Sasuke called out to him once more, voice much closer than before. 

The triumph blooming in his chest as he neared the exit shriveled when a firm hand snapped over Naruto’s wrist. Then the other Sasuke yanked him around so that he met with a dazzling smile that looked so out of place resting on Sasuke’s features. 

“If I didn't know any better, I’d say you’re running away from me.” 

Any sane person would take one look at Naruto’s darting eyes or the trying-to-pull-out-of-his-grasp twisting of his wrist and know that he was, in fact, trying to run away. 

“Whatever gave you that idea?” Naruto responded exasperatedly, eyes flitting about, glancing from the window to the door to a faded spot of paint on the wall.

The last thing he wanted to do was look at him. 

Back when they were kids and Sasuke ensured that they’d only see each other for brief conversations, he developed a habit of soaking in Sasuke’s features. Instead of the minutes, they spent together, it felt like it lasted seconds. It was like being winded. Time suspended, and the emptiness in him ached as though it sensed the piece that completed him nearby. He’d been so desperate to see his friend that when he did, Sasuke’s image burned itself into the backs of his eyelids. 

Even after all this time, the proclivity hadn't faded. If anything, it brightened after their reconciliation. 

Fortunately, it was acceptable now to miss his friend during his long absences. He even had a sort of mental scrapbook that he could look back to whenever he was worried about Sasuke. He could delve into the recesses of his mind and think about the imperceptible smiles Sasuke felt comfortable enough to share with him over the years instead of being kept awake for nights on end because the last time he saw him, he'd looked more miserable than a person should ever have to bear.

That alone set precedence for his avoidance. 

The other Sasuke only ever met him with large smiles and welcoming eyes— something his Sasuke wouldn’t express so readily. Naruto didn’t want to see the unabashed affection aimed so openly at him. It would be too easy to memorize it. And why would Naruto want to remember something in-authentically shared?

Especially when it wasn’t him. 

Because this person was not Sasuke. 

Sure, he wore Sasuke’s body but his mannerisms were not him at all. It was like an expertly done shadow clone jutsu done by someone who came from those Icha-Icha books. 

“Will you please come to lunch with me?” The other Sasuke asked, interrupting his thoughts and acting like Naruto’s reluctance was nonexistent. “We can get your favorite!” 

The other Sasuke said it with such self-assurance it gave Naruto pause. He spoke like he was familiar with the other _him_. As for the extent, he wasn’t sure. “My favorite?” 

“Ramen?” He faltered. “Do you not like ramen here?” 

The other Sasuke spent so much of his time flirting with Naruto that seeing him with playful eyes became the standard.

Except for now. 

The look he wore now was oddly lost as though he longed for something just out of reach. 

It struck him at that moment that this Sasuke might have been more worried than he was letting on. He was probably afraid, being stranded in an alternate reality, and tried to cling to someone he was familiar with only to be brushed off repeatedly. Being concerned with his own feelings made him wholly self-absorbed and the guilt softened him. 

“No, I—I do. Yeah, let’s go grab some lunch,” he agreed finally. He hoped the pitying was evident on his face but the relieved smile from the other Sasuke told him all he needed to know.

* * *

“—so your counterpart had more leeway than, say, Lee,” the other Sasuke finished, taking another careful bite of his soup. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Naruto noted that he was almost as fastidious as his Sasuke despite the obvious differences.

“That sounds like my Sasuke.” 

“My Sasuke,” the other Sasuke repeated his words pensively. 

The finality in his voice made Naruto freeze, and the atmosphere of the room changed to something like a held breath. 

Fearing that he would give something away, Naruto tried to shift his focus onto what he was saying beforehand but easily fixated on the way the other Sasuke repeated his words. My Sasuke. They were full of implication. 

Ok, so, maybe he had some feelings for Sasuke— some he would rather not discuss with someone who looked just like him, but what if this Sasuke could read minds with his Sharingan, Naruto thought wildly.

What would he say? He tried, honestly tried so fucking hard, to extinguish any teenage-crush type of feelings after their battle in the Valley of the End. Back when they were laying in the rubble, broken, dirty, but happy, it had become clear that Sasuke would never feel _that_ way about him. If he had, that was the time to say something, when he was already baring his heart. 

And, fuck, Naruto tried. He wanted to explain so badly but they had been pushed that far already because of Naruto’s ‘brotherly’ feelings. He couldn’t imagine how Sasuke would handle hearing about how in love with him he was. But he couldn't explain and Sasuke couldn't understand. Besides, he was happy enough to have their friendship back. Why would he jeopardize it by pushing a relationship with actual romance onto Sasuke when that was the last thing he needed or even wanted? Naruto knew better than anyone of how little importance Sasuke placed on that. 

Sakura got lucky enough but even that didn't last long. They both realized that whatever it was they were forcing wasn't working and dialed it back to a friendship which suited them much better. 

Her pining for Sasuke disappeared almost overnight. Meanwhile, Naruto’s was in full swing as though it’d been built into the foundations of their relationship. 

Naruto wanting Sasuke. 

Acting on it, however, was out of the question. 

It reminded him that he definitely didn't want the other Sasuke to connect the dots and carry sensitive information back to his Sasuke. So he backpedaled. 

Naruto’s hands shot up in a defensive gesture as he stumbled over words to disguise his hesitation.

“No, no! Not _my_ Sasuke, I just mean, uh, like my Sasuke as in the Sasuke from my universe. My Sasuke,” he dismissed the word the fluid motion of his hand. 

“Hn.” 

Naruto caught the disbelief in his monosyllabic reply but didn't dwell. 

“Uhm, what about you and your… Naruto? Or Menma? I’m Menma in your world, right?” 

The other Sasuke suddenly stopped eating. He placed the spoon back into his ramen and leaned back into his seat, looking at him with his head tilted like he was considering something. 

“Yes.” 

“‘Yes’ his name is Menma or yes you two are together-together?” 

“We aren't like that," he said flatly. "Menma barely tolerated me— _tolerates_ , I mean. Although, I’ve wanted to be his friend for as long as I can remember.” 

That surprised Naruto. It was like a twisted version of them. 

“That’s weird," he said plainly. He couldn't imagine himself not being friends with Sasuke. Sure, it took them a few years but they got there eventually. This version of them was so twisted, they didn’t even make it to friendship at all. “Well, aside from being less than interested in you, how’s he like? What kind of Hokage is he?” 

“He’s not Hokage.” 

Naruto blinked. “I’m... _he’s_ not Hokage? 

“No, Sakura-sama is.” 

Naruto nodded approvingly. “I can see that. If something happened to me and Sasuke, I’d want her to take up the title.” 

That made him laugh. Not a real, belly aching laugh — which wasn’t his style, anyway — but more of a loud exhale that used sardonicism for momentum. It sounded wounded. 

The other Sasuke’s head dipped and he rubbed his forehead with his hand, looking at Naruto with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. 

Now that Naruto got a closer look at him, he realized that he actually looked nothing like his Sasuke. They shared the same hairstyles, pale skin, and lush lips, but this Sasuke was an echo of the Sasuke from the past. He looked lost. Defeated.

He hated seeing that look on anyone's face, let alone Sasuke’s. 

Naruto took another large bite of his ramen, hoping to drive the conversation toward the more mundane issue of his slurping which always god on his Sasuke's nerves. He didn't know where this awkwardness came from but he didn't like it. When the other Sasuke didn't take the bait, he decided to address it head on.

“Hey, so, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but whatever it is that's bugging you, you can talk to me. Or to Sasuke. If it's homesickness, I promise you, we _will_ get you back. Believe it,” he promised, slipping into his old tick that came with making promises.

“I'm not worried about that. It’s been, uh, refreshing here,” the other Sasuke said carefully.

Naruto let out a snicker. "I wish my Sasuke thought that."

"If you and Sasuke are as close as you appear, why does he not want to stay here in the Village?" 

Naruto didn't even take a moment to admire his ability to piece information together regardless of how little of it he had. Instead, he considered what he would say without having to explain their entire, bloody history. 

"He has... unfavorable memories here. He doesn't like to stay if he doesn't have to." 

"Do you miss him?" 

"All the time," Naruto replied honestly. 

"Ursuratonkachi," he said seriously, catching his attention. Naruto briefly wondered if he called his Naruto that, too, but was distracted by the pale hand moving over his. Their eyes met and Sasuke was looking at him with blazing sincerity. "For now, you have me. However you might interact with him, you can shift to me when he's not here. I'll be here for you." 

Naruto frowned. Sure he was starting to like this Sasuke, but as the Other Sasuke. Not as His Sasuke. He couldn't act a certain way with him because he looked like his best friend. His better half. 

"C'mon, Sasuke you guys are totally different people!" He said plainly. 

The other Sasuke's face flashed disappointment but like his Sasuke, masked it easily. 

Not that you aren't great but you're nothing like him!" He said, entirely unable to stop fucking talking despite seeing the disappointment flash over his features. 

“Would you rather I leave you alone for the duration of my stay?"

"Nah. We're stuck together until we can get you back. You're just gonna have to get used to me."

The other Sasuke lifted his head, looking at Naruto with a gleam in his eyes like he was the sun at the center of the galaxy. 

“I will.”

* * *

After that, the days moved in a blur. 

The stagnant routine Naruto was stuck in suddenly brightened. 

It was nice having someone other than his supervisors around him, especially someone as affable as the other Sasuke. Maybe because he looked like Sasuke, but it was easier to relax with him. They joked around, crass jokes that Sasuke would have thrown himself from the top of Final Valley before making, and spent even more time sparring which was fun. The other Sasuke grew up with other Uchiha's and never having trained under Orochimaru had made his fighting style different. It made his heart twinge sadly when he thought of it but it also made him happy that in one reality Sasuke grew up surrounded by love. 

Enjoyable though it was, it was different from being with his Sasuke who became dangerously elusive. Naruto hadn’t seen him since their compromise and spent more time doing laps around the village than he should have. Then a sweet jonin mercifully whispered, ‘he’s in archives’ to him with a knowing smile on her face, putting Naruto's mind at ease. 

He was still here, and that was enough.

* * *

It was the first time Sasuke saw Naruto and his doppelganger together since he arrived nearly two weeks ago. 

He didn't know what he hated more: seeing his copy with the townspeople or seeing him with Naruto. 

On one hand, the repulsion coursing through him when he saw his copy around the villagers was what soured their relationship in the first place. The first day he’d been there, he had been eager to be free of him and went to turn in his daily report, letting his copy wander around town. Alone. 

His chakra signature had been unsteady since his arrival so it had been difficult to track him down. Granted, the lightness that came with being rid of him didn't exactly encourage Sasuke to look very hard. If he had known the level of mortification that would come of them recouped, he might have cuffed them together instead.

The last place Sasuke expected to find him was where he had left him. Surrounded by a group of giggling woman, no less. For whatever reason, his copy was incapable of not attracting a crowd. 

Although, between the displays of holding women in the palm of his Susanoo’s hand to share the 'best view of town' and the fire-breathing, attention was unavoidable. As were the admirers. 

“Will you refrain from behaving that way?” Sasuke hissed at him as he dragged him away. “People might believe that you are me and I don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea.”

“What wrong idea?” his copy asked with a knowing tone that made his jaw set. 

Even though the corny charm grated on his nerves, it was something he didn’t care enough about to stop in its tracks. 

Watching him behave the way he did around Naruto, on the other hand, was like waving a red flag in front of a well-trained bull. Was it crazy to think that his copy was purposely antagonizing him? 

Sasuke had been in the same room with them for less than twenty minutes and a persistent but unfamiliar feeling lanced through him as he studied them from his peripherals. 

It was like watching a nightmare through a trick mirror. He discreetly followed the movement of _his_ hand moving to brush Naruto’s hair out of his eyes and the way he was practically draped over Naruto with a relaxed arm around his broad shoulders, smiling so contently he looked just short of actually purring, that his uneasiness increased with every passing second. 

It was so bizarre he could barely stomach it. 

Like a mind reader, Naruto noticed his discomfort and subtly turned away from his copy’s affection. 

Which only served to make him more persistent in receiving it. 

The conviction that flooded Sasuke when he wanted something used to be one of his most beloved traits. Watching it used in such a shameless way made him furious in a way he hadn't felt in a long time. 

At least, that’s what he told himself he was angry about.

They were in Naruto’s office with the rest of his friends and Kakashi. So feigning indifference took his mind off of it, even if there was a small voice suggesting something awful. 

Naruto likes him because he’s _me_ with none of the history and all the accessibility— 

But he had to stop himself. 

He knew that Naruto would never use people as a substitute for another. 

It was something that amazed him because while he found Hebi to emulate his old team, Naruto formed completely unique bonds with everyone he ever met. He appreciated people for their individuality. The little therapist in him loved finding people with the most fucked up issues to cling to like a lifeline. Given what Sasuke had been through, it was no wonder Naruto treasured him. He was the best of the worst. 

But his shine must have dulled. 

“Mhm,” Naruto hummed, interrupting Sasuke’s thoughts. “Well, great work. Uh, Sasuke. You mind staying behind?” 

A few ears perked at his wording. Naruto never _asked_ , he _said_. But not in an egotistical way. It was in an “I miss you, friend, how have you been, let's go spar” kind of way. 

The room filled out around Sasuke like a school of fish moving around a predator. 

When they were finally alone, Sasuke was the first to speak. “We made a deal, no take backs.” 

Any awkwardness Naruto felt was not reciprocated by Sasuke, who half-smiled which might has well have been clouds parting to reveal the blinding sun, a memory to be cherished. 

Time passed easily and their time together ranged from companionable silence to non-stop joking. It was nice. More than nice, actually, Sasuke’s presence filled him with a warmth he couldn’t explain . 

But just as easily as Sasuke relaxed, he closed himself off as they felt the other Sasuke's chakra signature approach. He had good intentions, showing up with a few boxes of take-out, but both Naruto and Sasuke felt a stab of dismay.

“Oh, you guys are still talking? Good! I just wanted to make sure Naruto has dinner," he said brightly, gliding to Naruto's side only to open a box to feed him a pleasantly warm piece of pork. 

To say it was awkward was an understatement. Unfortunately, Sasuke was the first to react as he inclined his head and turned to leave.

“Oh, don’t leave on my account!” His copy said like that would push down the bile in his throat. Maybe that was an overreaction but, god, what was wrong with his copy? Bad enough that he charmed his way through town, but now he was. . . 

“I’ve taken a long enough break, as it is. I must get back,” and with the flap of his cloak, he was gone.

* * *

“Well?” 

“Well, what?” 

“What are we going to do about him? He can't stay.” 

“You sure? Naru’s told me I look awfully similar to Sasuke. You can choose which one you want for the day depending on your mood." 

“Well, yeah. They look similar the way all Uchiha’s do,” Naruto conceded. But Sasuke’s hawkish eyes caught the way his shoulders bunched in a way that indicated he was giving a purposefully evasive answer. 

“Uh, you're kidding, right? That's literally Sasuke from a different universe. If this guy,” Kiba pointed to other Sasuke, “has a mole on his ass, guess where—” 

“That's enough,” Kakashi intervened. He’d been studying his protege from the moment they gathered inside Naruto's office. could see the almost imperceptible narrowing of his eyes whenever the other Sasuke drew attention to himself. “What needs to happen now is research. 

If Kiba looked reluctant, Shikamaru was downright refusing. 

“You’re not wrong. Although, all advanced genjutsu research is within the Uchiha compound which only open to Uchiha’s so…” Shikamaru trailed off. 

A tactful move, Kakashi thought, smiling from under his mask at him. 

“That means only Sasuke can go.” 

“Not so fast,” Sakura chimed in. “We’ve got two of them, don’t you remember?”

* * *

Sasuke’s pouted before. 

Back when he was a child and spent countless days orchestrating a way to entice his brother into spending time with him. The day the stars finally aligned, his cousin Shisui came along and ruined it. That day, Itachi ruffled his hair and left him with a cryptic, ‘next time’. 

So yeah, he’s pouted before. 

For that reason, it was easy to recognize that same petulance welling up inside him the moment he'd been forced to bring his copy along as an extra pair of hands. Like he would somehow help. 

A group of girls sneaking glances at the two of them let out pleased gasps when his copy ran toward them, placing a genjutsu over them to see hearts and roses raining down on them. As he watched, he felt an eye twitch.

“What’s with the face?” Sakura asked from beside him. 

He’d been so blinded by his displeasure that he didn’t recognize her chakra signature approach him.

"What?"

“The stink eye you’ve been giving him since he got here?”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her like it would dismiss the obvious.

“Oh, right. You’ve been too busy avoiding him like the plague."

“What, and watch him do this?”

“Is sending him to Naruto any better?”

Sasuke’s eyes rolled to land on her and frowned, not saying anything more.

How stupid did these idiots think she was? Sasuke had the keenest eyes but only towards things ahead of him. Naruto and Sasuke only ever stood side by side. Which left Sakura just a step behind them. And once she realized what she was seeing, it was easy to catalog all the sneaky glances between them. The missed opportunities. 

They were like two swing sets moving out of sync. 

Sakura would never say anything, didn’t even know how to broach the subject, but she thinks that if nothing happens soon, it never will.

* * *

His other had been blabbing away about nothing at all. Even their destination, which took them through Sasuke's abandoned home, meant nothing at all to him. Although Sasuke wasn't surprised that none of it mattered to him. This wasn’t his reality after all. 

But then he said something just underhanded enough to make him stop in his tracks before they entered the Uchiha compound. 

_“What?”_ After maintaining stony silence for so long, his voice was like the crack of a whip. 

“Hm?” 

“Tch.” Sasuke felt like his head was about explode with impatience. “You brought yourself here.” 

He fixed his clone with a hard gaze. Although, it didn’t have the usual effect since it was like looking in a mirror. 

“Why would you come here?” 

“It's not obvious to you, yet?” The other Sasuke said smugly, making him want to bring out his Susanoo and crush his stupid fucking face under his foot. But just as he clenched his teeth, his copy’s next words made him freeze. 

“For Naruto. I came here for Naruto.” 

It was a punch to the gut. 

“What, you have a little crush on Naruto?” 

“Interesting. Of all the interpretations of my statement, that that’s what your simple mind jumped to. But no. Not _me_ per se.” And there he was with his pretentious, undignified, stupid fucking grin on his face. Sasuke gave him a hard look and was surprised at how quickly his expression changed from that to scrutinizing.

“The thing I can’t understand is why Naruto likes _you_. Out of everyone here. You. I—” he scoffed and scrubbed his face with his hands. “You’re not close to anyone, how did he ever become so fond of you?” 

Sasuke didn’t know what he did to agitate him so, but now that the tables had turned, he could help but rub it in.

“Perhaps it’s because I actually know Naruto instead of acting like I do? Or could be that he appreciates that don’t behave in the shameless way you do? Take your pick.”

The other Sasuke tsked. “So I borrowed the personality traits of his best friend—” he actually did the air quotes, making Sasuke’s eye twitch, “—and amplified them, but only because I knew I had a limited amount of time with him.” 

His copy might have thought that he was making a point but the only thing running through his head was how ridiculous this was; what a mess he created for no reason at all.

“You must think poorly of yourself if you had to adopt ‘my’ personality to make someone like you,” Sasuke shot back. 

“You don’t understand,” he breathed out, rubbing over his eyes with his hand. “I had no idea that your Menma was so…” he trailed off, looking off in the distance with something close to nostalgia, longing, desire before his features hardened to meet Sasuke’s eyes. “As if I _wanted_ to act like a love-sick puppy who’s incapable of holding their master's attention—” 

Sasuke’s eyes widened imperceptibly and he turned to leave the compound.

“We’re done here.” 

“You don’t understand the treasure you hold!” the other Sasuke spat. “Naruto would do anything for you and you hold him at an arms length. Why!"

“I have all the information I need,” Sasuke replied, ignoring him as he threw his counterpart a cold glare. “I will report to the Hokage our findings and we will return you to your reality at the earliest convenience.” 

“Should I—” 

“I will tell him.” 

“Are you sure he even wants to be around you? It seems to me that he prefers my presence to yours since I’ve arrived.” 

The Sasuke's stared each other down. One considered running the other through with his Chidori and the other was hoping he would make a decision that would save him.

Either way, that was the last straw. The camel's back was broken and there was only one thing left to do.

* * *

Naruto was at the entrance to the Hokage office, ready to leave, when the door swung open. 

“There you are.” 

It happened too fast for him to process. 

The door was barely thrown open before he was crowded against the wall, every cell in his body paralyzed with confusion. 

Then his mind was wiped gloriously blank as Sasuke's face tilted out of the shadows, the moonlight painting his skin with an ethereal glow, as he leaned in to kiss him. It was nice to pretend because he was kissing him. Really kissing him. His lips moved with a clumsy passion that spoke of inexperience. That was fine though. Everything Sasuke did looked (and felt) like a second try. Naruto's mouth was coaxed wider as his bottom lip was bit gently before a tongue moved to trace the seam of his mouth. It made Naruto’s knees buckle. 

It was like he’d been hurled into another atmosphere where only Sasuke existed. He was the air needed to live, the sun and moon that allowed him life, and the intoxicating taste of him was all he ever needed for sustenance. 

Despite Sasuke being ridiculously good at this, Naruto was not experienced in this. He didn't know how to loosen his rigid mouth. But the warmth, the feel of Sasuke's lips made him respond, albeit hesitantly, and with gradual enjoyment. Then guilt followed. 

But it took too long for him to match the other Sasuke’s ease, and he took notice. 

“That was nice,” Naruto said softly, already pressing at his chest for distance with a gentle but firm hand. “But I made a mistake already. I can't do this to my Sasuke.” 

\---

A stab of hurt shot through him. 

He was such a fucking idiot. Of course, Naruto would think he was his copy. Anyone with eyes saw how his impostor was all over Naruto, touching him, crowding him, always within arms reach. He just never thought that they had gone that far or that Naruto would even consider it. Why else would he confuse him unless he thought about it? A riot of questions gathered onto the tip of his tongue but the only one, as clear as day, that remained eerily present was: How? 

How could Naruto be so familiar with the version of him that he barely met but have no interest in him that way? 

As much as he wanted to ask, he didn’t. 

It took a long, very long, time for him to admit that this is what he felt for Naruto, it would take even longer to speak it aloud. Besides, if he took a guess of every possible answer Naruto would give him, all were valid. So instead of confronting him, he took an imperceptible steadying breath and said what he came to say.

“I came with my report.” 

And like that, the spell broke. 

Naruto’s hand flinched away like Sasuke had burned him and took a step back. The soft look in his eyes transformed into shock, guilt, and more. Too many emotions that they combined into a lost look like he didn't know where to go from here.

“I—” 

“It's fine.” 

“I'm sorry.” 

“I said it's fine.” 

“I thought you were—” 

“Are you deaf?” Sasuke snapped. 

Naruto fell silent, still looking horribly uncomfortable as he walked over to settle into his chair.

“Your report?" 

Sasuke swallowed through his suddenly dry throat and relayed everything he learned to Naruto, who nodded. Sasuke did, too. For what felt like the millionth time, Sasuke turned to leave but Naruto called to him, wanting to clear something up.

“You have to know that I don't think you're anything like him. It's dark and he likes to sneak up on me sometimes, I thought…” Naruto took a deep breath, stopping the steady flow of guilty rambling. “You guys aren't anything alike. You're so different. And I know you wouldn't do that, I just... look, if it was a bet or something I—” 

"This was my decision," Sasuke said over his shoulder as he closed the door to leave. 

Naruto's mouth fell open and he stared at the door in shock.

* * *

There was a whole range of emotions churning in his stomach, making him feel nauseous. He made his way to high ground and looked in the direction of the Hokage's Mansion.

What would he say the next time he saw Naruto? This was him putting everything on the line but... fuck! 

Sasuke felt the strong chakra signature approach from in front of him and stood still. Even though his heart felt like leaping from his chest and sprouting legs to escape a second battering, he remained where he was.

And like the impulsive, brash person Naruto was, he leaped over the railing to barrel into him.

Sasuke almost let out an indignant sound but then Naruto's lips pressed to his in a rushed, desperate kiss before pulling away.

“He was you. A little sliver of you, a more forward and upfront version of you, but you. And I liked that for a little while. It would never have worked though because I’ve always wanted you. The one I chased around for three years. The-this-this you. 

The words were sloppy, rushed, but then again, neither of them were ever good with words. Actions were their savior.

"Let me up."

The feeling of panic picked up his heart rate as Sasuke grabbed his wrist. This was a huge mess. They missed their shot, Naruto's chance was over, all kinds of overthinking crowded his mind and put him a second away from short-circuting, but Sasuke was pulling him over to sit beside him. Then they sat in silence for a very long time.

The action instantly settled him and after an even longer moment, it occurred to Naruto that this was the most relaxed he'd felt in a while. Sasuke sat up rigidly while Naruto rested his head back onto his loosely folded arms. The only sound they heard was the breeze ruffling their hair. Naruto's eyes rolled over to look at his friend and couldn't help but stare at the way he always did. 

“I’m getting rid of him," Sasuke said finally. 

“Nope,” Naruto reproved lightly. “You’re not gonna kill him here.” 

“Tch. I mean, I know how to send him back. And I’m doing it immediately. He doesn’t need to be here a moment longer.” 

“Be nice to him. He’s the reason this,” Naruto entwined their fingers and their hands, “happened.” 

“This would have happened eventually.”

“You sound sure but we’re twenty-eight now. 

“You’re right, we should give him a medal, a ‘Best at Pissing People off to the point of Acting Rashly’ award.

“Teme,” Naruto laughed. “He didn't do anything wrong."

"The first time I kissed you, you thought I was someone else. Because of him," Sasuke said doubtfully.

"Are you forgetting that our first kiss was when we were like, what, 11?"

"You're not counting that."

"I'd rather eat frog food than count this!"

* * *

He made his way back to Sasuke’s home and didn't have a problem with letting himself in. 

Everything was so different here. The only thing that went along the same lines was their story but even that sounded so drawn out, it exhausted him. Yet a shorter battle didn’t necessarily mean more triumphant.

If anyone knew that, it would be him. 

Menma was dead and he could never take that back.

He looked at the photo of Naruto and Sasuke and felt his heart in his throat. That emotion, the fondness, the small relieved smiles playing on both their faces as Naruto’s arm was thrown around Sasuke’s neck, drawing them closer together, was what he tried to create. 

In a flash, the frozen shock of Menma’s lifeless eyes flashed through his mind and he suddenly felt despair like a weight on his shoulders. It wanted to pull him down again. He tried not to indulge it, but bitterness rose to defend him.

Naruto would have never forced Sasuke to make such a decision, one with the power to shatter him to pieces. And it was because he loved his Sasuke. It was stupid for him to play pretend, to try and cheat his way into something real. 

Then the dull ache that never seemed to leave him after Menma’s death returned in full. Being with Naruto calmed it, but it wasn’t enough. Not really. He could not be Naruto’s Sasuke like Naruto could not be his Menma. He felt so much that his breath started to come out in short pants, like too many emotions were racing to be expressed and all were winning.

Looking back, he didn’t know how he convinced himself that seeking this kind of closure would heal him. This journey only served to make his wound worse. Not only did it twist the knife, but it yanked it out. 

Once he registered that their counterparts were friends, it was easy to realize that not only were they friends, but they were in _love_. Only the history between them made them hold their tongues. 

That wasn’t to say that he wanted _that_ from Menma. He was straight, after all, but still. . .

He looked back to the photo. It was like a magnetic force, and he couldn’t help but draw closer. He picked it up and ran the pads of his fingers lightly over the glass. It delivered a sickening dose of anguish leaving only the aftertaste of expectation. The weight pulling him down won and he collapsed to his knees, overwhelmed by sorrow. By guilt. By yearning.

Maybe he gained nothing from this trip, not closure, not love, not a thing. But if he was able to force his counterpart's hand to maintain—or rather, move forward his relationship with his universes Menma then. . .

Maybe this was worth it. That’s what he had to tell himself.

For the first time since he’d been there, he was happy to be away from them.

He felt the dull tingle of tears welling in his eyes and a dry sob was torn from his throat. 

*** 

END.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a reminder to comment and/or kudos when you enjoy a work! People write from days to weeks to months to give you a fifteen minute read. They write anywhere from 500 words to 100k, even three words back keeps them writing. The amount this tag is updated is dwindling because consumers don't give back! It doesn't bother me as much anymore but another writer abandoned a SNS story I REALLY enjoyed because of this so I'm a little in my feelings about it lmao 
> 
> Just remember to be thoughtful and support creators.


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